Basic SYSTEM in Bahrain is using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ to make rapid curing pebble-crete flooring in Bahrain. The easy mixing Concrete Mender combines with the pebbles and acts as a binder in seconds. The mixture is easy to apply and trowel flat without getting sticky until the final minutes of curing. See the video here.

UPDATE May 4th, 2015

“I will take the opportunity of this e-mail & send you a recent photo of the pebbles application with Concrete mender at PinkBerry frozen yogurt / pictures was taken today, the floor is performing well and the client is very happy / the application will be repeated in Future PinkBerry shops in the region…”

Regards

George Honein

Basic SYSTEM in Bahrain is using Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ to make rapid curing pebble-crete flooring in Bahrain. The easy mixing Concrete Mender combines with the pebbles and acts as a binder in seconds. The mixture is easy to apply and trowel flat without getting sticky until the final minutes of curing. See the video here.

Pebble floor application at a Pinkberry Store in Bahrain.

600ml of Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ is combined with about 6kg of 3-5mm pebbles. The components are mixed be hand, spread out on the floor about 3cm deep and troweled flat. 600ml

The pebbles are completely coated and help in place by the Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™. The floor performs well and creates the look specified by the designer. The floor does not need further sealing. Daily maintenance consists of vacuuming and mopping.

When I first saw this application, I had some questions:

Hello George at Basic SYSTEMS in Bahrain.

Your application has not been tried before with Concrete Mender.
How does the surface look?

It’s giving a wet look / looking really nice.. they have used resin in the past in other outlets, but the problem it was not strong enough and was smelling due to cleaning process.

Are the rocks coated completely?

We have mix it with in a bucket with the Concrete Mender / pebbles size was 3 to 5mm, we have used 600 ml of CM and an average of 6 kg of pebbles, it was completely coated

Do any of the rocks come loose?

Yes some, but it was superficial, we brush it out with hard brush the next day and fill the few areas where the pebbles was removed with same mix materials…

Will the floor be easy to clean?

Well vacuuming and mopping was our instruction to follow…

Do you use a clear sealer after the application?

The pebbles are completely coated/ by sealing it, will loose the natural look as required in the concept design.

Last week I posed two new videos on the Roadware YouTube Channel showing Roadware MatchCrete™ Clear in action repairing cracks in an exposed aggregate concrete sidewalk and patio. I also posed a video on how to repair a hairline crack in a driveway or sidewalk.How to repair a crack in an exposed aggregate concrete patio using Roadware MatchCrete™ Clear in a 600ml cartridge.

This week the City of Minneapolis used Roadware MatchCrete™ Clear to repair cracks in the exposed aggregate walkway surface on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Stone Arch Bridge is unique to the Mississippi River and features 23 arches, is 2100 feet long and 28 feet wide.

The bridge was built by railroad baron James J. Hill in 1883 and served as a working railroad bridge until 1965. Today the bridge is mostly used by walkers and bicyclists. The bridge also hosts many festivals and public events in the summer months.

In preparation for the summer festival season, City of Minneapolis crews used Roadware MatchCrete™ Clear to repair cracks in the exposed aggregate walkway surface. MatchCrete™ Clear is combined with matching rock to repair cracks and restore a consistent walking surface.

The process begins with routing out the cracks with a dry diamond blade
to remove loose dirt and debris. Clean and dry matching stone is placed
into the crack up to surface level.

Matching stone is added up to the surface level

Next, two-part blended MatchCrete™ Clear is poured into the repair up to the surface. This fills in all the voids between the stones and seals the crack. MatchCrete™ Clear is a semi-ridged material that will support all kinds of traffic from pedestrians to industrial fork lifts.

MatchCrete™ Clear is added to the pre-placed stone

See video MatchCrete™ Clear application video below:

Repairs will have a, wet” look for a few months and will naturally dull over time. A clear coat sealing over the entire surface will off-set this effect.

MatchCrete™ Clear repair in exposed aggregate concrete.

In a few months, Repairs with MatchCrete™ Clear will dull and blend into the surrounding concrete.

Over time, repairs will become less shiny.

Update: June 24, 2012.

MatchCrete™ Clear repairs 18 days later.

I revisited the repairs on the bridge 18 days later. The surface has been sealed. The repairs are performing as expected.

Roadware MatchCrete Clear is available is 50ml and 600ml cartridges and two gallon bulk kits.

Recently a customer sent me several cut sheets from other manufactures of look-alike concrete repair products and asked me to compare them with Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™. Here is how it played out.

Dear Dave,

We here at Roadware are familiar with the knock-off and look-alike products you submitted for our review. These products fall into the category of a low viscosity polyurea. Basically, what they have done is modify a standard polyurea joint filler and added a solvent to make it appear as a high-penetration Concrete Mender™-like product. They are all missing the key property and process that makes Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ unique and superior in overall performance. This process is called Microdoweling™.

Roadware’s Microdoweling™ process uses a proprietary formula of polyurethanes and additives to achieve a measured surface tension of 0.026 N/m. (1/3 of water) Surface tension is a measurement of a liquids ability to break free of its own molecular friction and flow into something else. Microdoweling™ is why Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ can penetrate easily into a concrete surface under adverse conditions, as is the case in distressed, broken and cracked concrete.

Other advantages for Roadware 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ are:

The lowest viscosity for easier mixing and blending.

Easy, one-step polishing and grinding. This material will not melt, smear, or gum up diamond polishing pads. An excellent parging compound.

Experienced and advanced packaging. Roadware cartridge packaging is reliable and works well in the field.

End-user color blending. New MatchCrete™ Concrete Mender can easily be manipulated into many colors by modifying the sand or adding pigments.

A modulus of elasticity that is slightly less then the concrete so repairs will move with the concrete and not against it.

Roadware MatchCrete™ Clear (MCC) is a two component aliphatic polyurethane for repairing cracks, spalls, and joints in concrete subject to UV exposure from sunlight. This material is clear in appearance when applied and cured. Colored sand and pigments may be added to create color stable repairs that match most any decorative or shade of concrete surface. MCC will not significantly change color with exposure to sunlight over time.

Use Roadware MatchCrete™ Clear (MCC) to quickly repair cracks and spalls in concrete that is exposed to sunlight and where a color compatible appearance is desired.

Who would want a “clear” concrete repair product? What could you use it for?

For over 15 years, Roadware manufactured 10 Minute Concrete Mender™ in one standard concrete grey color. It was simple and straight forward. Concrete is grey! The repairs should be grey. Then everything changed. In the past five years, decorative concrete has exploded into the marketplace. Now you can have your concrete in nearly limitless color choices and textures. We developed MatchCrete™ Clear to give you endless color possibilities as well. So, what can you do with MatchCrete™ Clear?

Cracks and Saw-cut Control Joints:

Clear- Use MCC without sand to create an eye pleasing joint that will not distract from the overall look.

Colored and Clear – Stain the sidewalls of a crack or joint and fill with MCC to create a colored joint effect.

Colored Sand- Use MCC with colored sand or colored quartz to make nearly any color repair.

Colored Aggregate- Use MCC and colored aggregate to make a granite or stone effect.

Concrete Dust- Use MCC and concrete dust to make a portland concrete look.

Dry Pigment- Use MCC, sand, and some dry concrete pigment to create most any matching color.